Violence and Love
by SiriusMarauderFan
Summary: She can lead him to redemption. Five short Dramione drabbles.
1. Her

**Author's Note:** Written for…

The 5 Drabbles Competition. _Popular pairing:_ Draco/Hermione. _Prompt:_ Shoes

**Her**

The Great Hall was eerily quiet considering how many people still crowded the room. Draco watched them, silently munching on a bread roll. The elves had been handing them out, along with pitchers of water.

"We'll leave the country," Lucius muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Narcissa and Draco to hear. The three of them were huddled together in the corner. Alone.

Draco turned away from his father, but to turn away from him meant facing a group of fellow students – people he'd betrayed and disappointed. He compromised and looked down at the floor, swallowing the last bite of bread.

The tapping of shoes on the stone floor had him looking up. Granger was heading his way. He thought she wanted to yell, but she only pulled him into the entrance hall, then into the antechamber. No one could hear them.

"Do you want to make amends?"

He didn't know how to respond.

"Why are you talking to me?"

"I'm giving you a chance, Draco." He couldn't remember if she'd ever used his first name. "Help us."

There was no choice, in his eyes – just a way out of the darkness.

He took her hand.


	2. Help

**Author's Note:** Written for…

The 5 Drabbles Competition. _Popular pairing:_ Draco/Hermione. _Prompt:_ ice

**Help**

He punishes himself daily, and she knows it.

They're part of the team restoring the staircase. She's the only one who talks to him – everyone else glares and avoids. So he works harder, longer. He doesn't take breaks, he barely eats.

She brings him ice water and plates heaping with food, but he declines every time.

They sleep in the Great Hall. Cots and sleeping bags are positioned haphazardly all over the place with personal belongings and pictures grouped beside them.

He has a single blanket stolen from the Slytherin dorms. He keeps it in a corner all by itself. She's never seen him use it.

It alarms her, how much she's coming to care for him. And it saddens her every time she thinks that there's no way to help him. She can do what all she wants, but he's looking for redemption and she can't relieve him of his imagined sins.


	3. Hiding

**Author's Note:** Written for…

The 5 Drabbles Competition. _Popular pairing:_ Draco/Hermione. _Prompt: _"My Favorite Things" by Julie Andrews

**Hiding**

After the staircase is rebuilt, Hermione offers to help in the library. Draco is assigned to the dungeons. It confirms his belief that everyone wants to keep him out of sight.

The dormitories and common rooms are mostly untouched, but he cleans them when he runs out of work to do in the corridors. He finds a dozen library books lying about and decides to bring them back.

He finds her at the back of the library, going through the contents of a small shoebox. She's startled and embarrassed when she notices him and tries to hide the contents, but he's already seen. Pictures – the unmoving kind.

He apologizes quickly and gets her help in putting the books back where they belong, but he can't help but ask about the box while they're working.

"They're my favorite memories," she tells him with a blush. "Pictures from my childhood, my muggle friends … my parents." She lets out an uncontrollable sob and covers her mouth. He can see her eyes tearing up as she turns away.

She tries not to think about how quickly he reacted in pulling her into his arms.


	4. Hurt

**Author's Note:** Written for…

The 5 Drabbles Competition. _Popular pairing:_ Draco/Hermione. _Prompt:_ "Scream My Name" by Tove Lo

**Hurt**

"She's worthless," Lucius yells and Draco flinches, anger rising in him. He hasn't felt true anger in months. She's changed something in him – or maybe he changed for her.

"I love her." He's managing to keep calm. His mother is silent throughout the exchange. Lucius is fuming.

"She's everything we hate – everything we fought to be rid of!"

Draco shook his head, growing tired of hearing her talked about in such a way.

"I never had a choice in what I believed," he said. "I was born into this madness, and I want out. The war is over. I'm done fighting."

It would be the last time he saw Lucius for a very long time.


	5. Happy Ending

**Author's Note:** Written for…

The 5 Drabbles Competition. _Popular pairing:_ Draco/Hermione. _Prompt: _saffron

**Happy Ending**

The castle was finally finished. It had taken months of work, but Draco was satisfied with the amount of energy he put into it. And so, it seemed, were many others. He didn't just come out of the restoration with a girlfriend, but with several budding friendships as well.

The lake had become one of his favorite places in all of Hogwarts. Whenever they weren't working, they would head outside and have a picnic by the water to get a little privacy.

"I'm going to miss it here," he said softly. It would be their last night together for a long while, and he wanting to remember the way she smiled as she watched the sun set against the saffron sky.

"Me too," she whispered. She was leaving for Australia in the morning. "You've come so far."

"All thanks to you."

"No, Draco. You did it on your own, and I'm so proud of you."

He grinned, leaning over to kiss her. Hers was the only approval he needed.


End file.
